The international line-up of the Doc Co-production Market & Pitching Forum, stands out as a showcase of exceptional quality, presenting world premieres of 15 projects of rare originality and narrative power. The selected projects testify to outstanding creative research, with bold stories able to engage with current affairs, memory, and imagination, while crossing genres and continents. Each title reflects both high production values and a unique authorial voice, the result of a selection made by a committee of international professionals: Horia El Hadad, Sr. Commissioning Producer, Al Jazeera English (Qatar); Bjorn Jensen, Creative Director & Founder, Ginger Foot Films (Germany); Fabio Mancini, Commissioning Editor, Rai Documentari (Italy); Pamela Martinez, International Sales Agent, Limonero Films (Spain); Myriam Weil, Head of Documentary, Federation Studios (France); Hiroshi Yokota, Director and Producer, NHK Enterprises, INC (Japan).
The documentaries and series present innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, demonstrating how the language of nonfiction today serves as a powerful tool for exploring society and contemporary history. The line-up includes 11 feature documentaries, 2 TV one-offs, and 2 docuseries. Italy is represented by 6 projects, while the remaining titles are international co-productions involving a total of 14 countries, among them Ukraine and Lebanon.
This year’s selection unfolds as a journey of world premieres, offering stories that will first come to light at MIA: BASEBALL ISLAND (Netherlands, produced by New Ams Film Company, directed by Lyangelo Vasquez) reveals Curaçao’s surprising passion for baseball; BUILDING VENICE (Italy, produced by EiE film, directed by Katia Bernardi) takes us into the hidden heart of the trades that safeguard the city; CARETAKERS (Germany/Hungary/USA, produced by OTHER FILMS, directed by Ambrus Hernadi) explores the lives of those who migrate across borders to care for the elderly; ENCOUNTER (Germany/Perù, produced by Caral Filmproduktion, directed by Jose Chavez Boggio), reconstructs Peru’s wounded memory through an intimate, familial lens. The projects address crucial themes: identity and denied justice in I WILL NEVER MARRY – THE BURNING STORY OF PALMINA MARTINELLI (Italy, produced by Salice Production, directed by Antonio Palumbo); Italian resilience and creativity in THE MASERATI CHRONICLES (Italy, produced by Cromo, directed by Edoardo Vojvoda) ; the social role of art in REFLECTIONS OF GAUGUIN (Finland, produced by Pig and Horse Productions, directed by Marton Jelinko) and SOTTSASS: THE POETRY OF THINGS (Italy/USA, produced by Basement HQ, directed by Mattia Ramberti); groundbreaking scientific research that reshapes our vision of the past in SPINOSAURUS: THE DINOSAUR THAT SWAM (France, produced by 3L Pictures, directed by Grégory Maitre, Olivier Mercier); and our relationship with nature in THROUGH SILENCE AND WIND (Italy, produced by Albolina Film, directed by Marco Zuin), set in the Alps. Docuseries such as HIJACKED LIFE (Lithuania/Estonia, produced by Make it Happen, directed by Andrius Lekavicius) interweave history and emotions that span decades and continents.
Geographical and thematic diversity is a true strength: from Europe to Latin America, from the Middle East to Eastern Europe, the selection offers an authentic, multi-layered portrait of the contemporary world. Works such as IMAN LE CAIRE (France/Canada, produced by Beall Productions, Urbania, directed by Olivier Lemaire) and EDITION 96 (Lebanon, Produced by OOBconcept, directed by Ahmad Naboulsi) shed light on stories of courage and the struggle for civil rights; THE LAWYER (Poland, produced by MADANTS, directed by Maciej Bochniakexplores) the nuances of justice in Africa and Europe; while TSYBLI (Ukraine/Italy, produced by DYKHAI Production, directed by Lesya Kharchenko) portrays love that endures even in the most fragile places.
2025 DOC SELECTION COMMITTEE
Horia El Hadad | Sr. Commissioning Producer, Al Jazeera English (Qatar)
Bjorn Jensen | Creative Director & Founder, Ginger Foot Films (Germany)
Fabio Mancini | Commissioning Editor, Rai Documentari (Italy)
Pamela Martinez | International Sales Agent, Limonero Films (Spain)
Myriam Weil | Head of Documentary, Federation Studios (France)
Hiroshi Yokota | Director and Producer, NHK Entreprises, INC (Japan)
2025 DOC & FACTUAL ADVISORY BOARD
Luigi Del Plavignano | Director Rai Documentari, Rai (Italy)
Chiara Messineo | Executive Producer and Director, (UK)
Cecilie Olsen | SVP Global Content Acquisition, Non-Scripted, ITV Studios (UK)
Mikael Österby | Head of Factual SVT International, SVT (Sweden)
Fabrizio Zappi | Director, Rai Cultura (Italy)
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2025
BASEBALL ISLAND (Netherlands) Feature Doc
Produced by New Ams Film Company Directed by Lyangelo Vasquez
In an attempt to understand the unlikely baseball success of the former Dutch colony of Curaçao, a Little League baseball team is followed on its journey to the World Series in the US. Will the community of kids, coaches, and supporters manage to meet expectations and put Liga Pabou back in the spotlight this season?
BUILDING VENICE (Italy) Docuseries
Produced by EiE film
Directed by Katia Bernardi
Beneath the beauty of Venice lies a hidden battleground. Building Venice is an unscripted journey into the unseen world of artisans, divers, and acrobatic builders who fight daily to preserve a city suspended between water and time.
CARETAKERS (Germany, Hungary, USA) Feature Doc
Produced by OTHER FILMS
Directed by Ambrus Hernadi
Two Hungarian women, Zsuzsa and Beata, care for the elderly abroad; one in Germany, the other undocumented in the U.S. Over time, caregiving forces them to question where, if anywhere, they truly belong.
EDITION 96 (Lebanon) Feature Doc
Produced by OOBconcept
Directed by Ahmad Naboulsi
Suzanne, now in her 60s, recalls triumphing over harassment and extremism to become the national tennis champion.
ENCOUNTER (Germany, Perù) Feature Doc
Produced by Caral Filmproduktion
Directed by Jose Chavez Boggio
A family of Shining Path ex-militants is confronted by the daughter of a couple murdered in a 1991 attack in Lima. Encuentro is a ‘from the inside’ view of an insurrection in Peru that was exceptional in Latin America due to its sheer violence.
HIJACKED LIFE (Lithuania, Estonia) Docuseries
Produced by Make it Happen
Directed by Andrius Lekavicius
In 1970, a teenager and his father hijack a Soviet airplane in search of freedom, igniting a 50-year odyssey across three continents—until, in California, the son kills the father.
IMAN LE CAIRE (France, Canada) TV One-Off
Produced by Beall Productions, Urbania
Directed by Olivier Lemaire
From her New York apartment, Iman Le Caire, a transgender woman of Egyptian origin, helps trans people flee their countries from torture and persecution, mainly in the Middle East. Iman Le Caire is a film about a modern-day heroine.
I WILL NEVER MARRY – THE BURNING STORY OF PALMINA MARTINELLI (Italy) Feature Doc
Produced by Salice Production
Directed by Antonio Palumbo
1981 Puglia. 14 year-old Palmina Martinelli is burned alive by her boyfriend. Despite naming her murderers before her death, her attackers go unconvicted – her death is ruled a suicide. Her sister Mina begins a fight to overturn the court’s decision.
THE MASERATI CHRONICLES (Italy) Feature Doc
Produced by Cromo
Directed by Edoardo Vojvoda
More than a historical account, The Maserati Chronicles is a story of creativity and the pursuit of excellence in the face of adversity and misfortune. It celebrates the visionaries who shaped Maserati’s past and present.
REFLECTIONS OF GAUGUIN (Finland) Feature Doc
Produced by Pig and Horse Productions
Directed by Marton Jelinko
Reflections of a Gauguin is a thrilling exploration into the forces that shape art’s legacy, examining who crafts its narrative, legitimizes its authenticity and value, and elevates it to greatness artistically, morally, and ultimately monetarily.
SOTTSASS: THE POETRY OF THINGS (Italy, USA) Feature Doc
Produced by Basement HQ
Directed by Mattia Ramberti
A journey into the life and mind of Ettore Sottsass, the revolutionary architect of postmodern design and founder of the Memphis Group – a cultural rebellion that forever shaped art, fashion, and design. His story is a testament to the importance of creative defiance in an age of conformity.
SPINOSAURUS THE DINOSAUR THAT SWAM (France) TV One-Off
Produced by 3L Pictures
Directed by Grégory Maitre, Olivier Mercier
In the world of palaeontology, few ideas are as controversial as Nizar Ibrahim’s: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, 95 million years ago, was not a land predator but an aquatic hunter. As the scientist debate intensifies, a new perspective on dinosaur life emerges, offering insights into our own future.
THE LAWYER (Poland) Feature Doc
Produced by MADANTS
Directed by Maciej Bochniak
When an incredibly talented Kenyan lawyer, Brian Mwenda, wins a seemingly impossible case, someone decides to investigate him. The truth surprises everyone.
THROUGH SILENCE AND WIND (Italy) Feature Doc
Produced by Albolina Film
Directed by Marco Zuin
Writer Matteo Righetto, a keen observer of the Alpine world, embarks on a journey of reflection to discover a new definition of mountaineering and the profound bond between human beings and the mountains.
TSYBLI / THE GRAY ZONE (Ukraine, Italy) Feature Doc
Produced by DYKHAI Production
Directed by Lesya Kharchenko
An observational film about love as presence — in a palliative ward where life endures beyond consciousness, in a country at war.
